End of the home office obligation: Every third person fears omicron infection at work

Created: 03/10/2022 17:26

By: Yannick Hanke

The Infection Protection Act expires on March 20th.

And with it the home office requirement.

So employees have to go back to the office – and are plagued by corona worries.

Berlin – In mid-February 2022, the federal and state governments decided at their Prime Ministers’ Conference (MPK) that the corona rules and pandemic measures would be relaxed in three stages*.

Always taking into account that the infection process, any corona numbers and incidences are also available.

This is also linked to the expiry of the Infection Protection Act and the obligation to work from home*.

For many employees, however, going to work is associated with specific corona concerns.

End of the home office obligation: employees fear corona infection with Omikron

The portal "lohnspiegel.de" conducted a survey in which, according to its own statements, almost 98,000 employees have participated since the pandemic began in March 2020.

With the survey, the website, which is scientifically maintained by the Economic and Social Science Institute (WSI) of the Hans Böckler Foundation, wanted to depict the concerns and fears of employees in the context of Corona.

The home office requirement will expire on Sunday, March 20, 2022.

So employees have to go back to the office.

Many fear an omicron infection at work.

(symbol image) © imago

The results of the survey were published in February, the month in which politicians decided to relax the corona virus.

In view of the high number of cases and new highs in terms of infections* almost every day, many employees fear being infected at their workplace.

Home office obligation expires on March 20th - and a third of employees fear omicron infection at work

Especially with regard to the end of the home office obligation*, 31 percent of the employees who were surveyed stated that they were afraid of a corona infection at work.

Compared to October 2021, when an omicron* wave was still imminent in winter and the home office requirement still applied, this value has risen significantly.

also read

Elimination of the home office obligation: What rules will apply in the office from March 20th?

Many employees have gotten used to working in the home office during Corona times.

But the home office obligation on the part of companies will soon end.

Elimination of the home office obligation: What rules will apply in the office from March 20th?

Home office obligation before the end: do you have to go back to the office from March 20th? 

Many employees are currently still working in the home office.

But the home office obligation on the part of companies will end soon.

What does that mean specifically?

Find out here what is planned so far.

Home office obligation before the end: do you have to go back to the office from March 20th? 

With the end of the home office obligation on March 20, the risk of infection also increases for employees who have previously worked well protected in their home office.

Elke Ahlers, an expert at the Economic and Social Science Institute (WSI), told the Reuters news agency

Because in autumn 2021 “only” 21 percent of the employees surveyed feared a corona infection at work.

It is said that those employees who have direct contact with a large number of other people due to their job are particularly often affected.

This would include sales jobs, for example.

Corona rules in the workplace: Ministry of Labor prescribes “distance, hygiene, everyday mask and ventilation”.

Despite flexible rules for mobile working, which could still allow home office days a week, there were signs that the office floors would be full again.

So if you are going back to the office after a long time and fear corona infections there, you should definitely follow the basic pandemic rules.

The “SARS-CoV-2 Occupational Health and Safety Ordinance” from the Ministry of Labor explicitly mentions the AHA+L rule.

Ultimately, this is nothing more than the abbreviation for “distance, hygiene, everyday masks and ventilation”. If, for example, indoor spaces are used by several people at the same time, the mask requirement applies here.

Also comply with corona protection measures during break times and break areas

It is also advisable to keep a minimum distance of 1.50 meters from one person to another.

The ventilation of rooms in which several people work should also go without saying.

And that doesn't just mean that the windows are thrown open in the mornings and evenings for quick ventilation.

Rather, this should be done several times a day at regular intervals.

The corona measures, which ultimately also serve to protect employees, must also be observed during break times.

This also applies to stays in break areas.

Because, to put it bluntly, the virus does not take a break.

Above all, the Omikron variant transfers much more easily and quickly* than was the case with the Delta variant.

The obligation to work from home is ending, everyday office life is returning – and without 3G at work

Infections in the office can therefore be prevented by adhering to the AHA+L rule.

In addition, it is of course advisable if as many people as possible who come together again in the office after the end of the home office obligation have already received their injection against the corona virus.

Ideally, the booster vaccination* is already available.

Of course, the booster vaccination against the corona virus does not guarantee 100 percent protection against infection in the office either.

However, it has already been scientifically proven that in the event of infection, the course is at least significantly milder than is the case with unvaccinated people*.

An encouragement for going to the office, which is becoming a reality again for millions of employees in Germany with the end of the home office obligation.

Even if, due to the discontinuation of 3G in the workplace*, unvaccinated employees no longer have to prove a negative corona test.

* kreiszeitung.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.